No catastrophic drug plan in budget

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Health groups hoping to find a plan for introducing catastrophic drug coverage for Prince Edward Islanders in the provincial budget Wednesday were disappointed.

The MS Society had received indications there would be news on catastrophic drug coverage in the budget, says Jessesar Mitchell. (CBC)

P.E.I. and New Brunswick are the only provinces which do not have funding programs to help people once drug costs reach a certain percentage of their income. New Brunswick is in the process of implementing a plan.

"We've been told a number of times it is a priority, it is something the [P.E.I.] government is working on," Jessesar Mitchell, director of government relations for the Atlantic division of the MS Society told CBC News.

"We did have indications that there might be something in this today, even if it was just determining what the layout might be in this next year, and some budgetary allotment to do that work. But we didn't see any of that."

The Canadian Cancer Society also expressed disappointment there was not even a mention of drug coverage in the budget.